Control means for underwater vehicle



Dec. 29, 1959 l l D. x. REBIKOFF v2,918,889

CONTROL MEANS FOR UNDERWATER VEHICLE Filed June 18, 1956 ATTORNEY United States Patent() CONTROL IVIEANS FOR UNDERWATER VEHICLE Dimitri Issaiewitch Rebikolf, Cannes, France, assignor to Cinefot International Corporation, New York County, N.Y., a corporation of New York Application June 18, 1956, Serial No. 591,952 Claims priority, application France December 7, 1955 2 Claims. (Cl. 114-16) The present invention relates to means for controlling undersea craft such -as submarines, torpedoes bearingJ photographic land similar equipment, and the like, and in particular to such means as may be operated by a single individual.

In the case of smaller submarine craft such as minisubs, the length of the vehicle does not exceed a few meters and in a sense the personnel is identified with the vehicle. This is also true withre'ference to torpedoes for photographic work, i.e. those wherein lights and cameras are installed in forward portions of such torpedoes, and propulsion, `steering and diving means are provided, and wherein the crew or operator ride outside of the torpedo. In such cases gravity forces are practically set olf by Archimedean pressures.

In both types of vehicles the control means presently to be described enable rapid changes in direction of an order not possible with conventional submarines, and would appear to be of great use both to the military and those engaged in sports.

In submarines in particular, wherein forward and rear planes or diving fins are employed to effect vertical displacement, and a rudder is employed to effect horizontal displacement, transversely disposed planes, such as a pair of forward or front planes, are usually inclined or ele'- vated simultaneously and generally are inclined or elevated to substantially the same degree. Operation of the submarine is usually carried'out by three men who coml ply -'withl the'v orders of a commander, one of them continuously observing bearing, another depth and the third the shipsbalance.

A primary object of the present invention is to enable a single individual, by operation of a single control stick, vto fully and readily direct the movements of an -undersea craft and in this fashion to fully exploit the capabilities vof the craft in connection with all of its possible movements. These are similar to the maneuvers of an airplane in the atmosphere and include loops, spins, turnings of all kinds, dives, inverted flying, and the like.

In its preferred form the present invention comprises nwo front or forward tins or planes extending hoizontally from opposed forward sides of the vehicle, the same being disposed symmetrically about the longitudinal axis of the vehicle and normal thereto, the planes in the rest positionf being parallel with one another, and their broader sides,- lined parallel with` lines substantially in the horizontal -plane which cuts through the longitudinal axis -of the vehicle; said planes being mounted on shafts and means connected'to said shafts to enable the simultaneous rotation thereof, including acontrol stick, and means operating through afdiierential likewise connected with said control st ickto causeldiierential rotation of, s aid shaftsj said control stick also being connected to an aft or rear iin or plane in such fashion that when the shafts bearing said forward planes are rotated simultaneously in a given direction the shaft connecting said rear plane is caused to rotate in a direction of opposite sign.

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a torpedo for photographic purposes, embodying the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of said torpedo.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary front elevation thereof, a po tion of the socketbearing the moveable forward plane being broken away, the forward planes being shown in the rest or normal position.

Fig. 4 is a similar front elevation thereof, the planes being shown in position to turn the vehicle to the operators right.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary section along 5-5 of Fig. 3v

treated as though there were no broken away'portion, the forward planes being shown schematically.

Fig. 6 is a similar view in which the planes are shown y equally inclined for the purposes of elevating the vehicle without turning.

Fig. 7 is a similar view thereof in which forward edge of the movable plane is elevated to enable a turn to the left.

Fig. S is a cross-sectional elevation, with parts in perspective, off another form of differential which may be employed.

Referring to the drawing and in particular to the preferred form of the present invention illustrated in Figs. 1-7 it comprises a torpedo 1 of the type which is used for undersea photography, and which may incorporate in its'nose (not shown) lighting and camera means as well as contain propulsion equipment such as yan electric motor and silver batteries to drive the same. The torpedo is rounded at the front 2 and is driven by a propeller 3 which is enclosed by a safety ring 4 aixed to ribs 5 which actas a fixed empenn-age. Such a torpedo, of course may be ridden by an operator 6 equipped for free driving, the operator riding on his stomach over the torpedo, the upper part of his body lying over and contacting a generally V-shaped support which is in the shape of -a bicycle or motorcycle handlebar. Positioned conveniently to the operator is a control stick 8 which 4is a lever connected to a rocker shaft 9 so as to be pivotable in arcuate direction 10 which lies in a plane parallel to the longitudinal axis of the torpedo, the lower portion of said stick comprising a fork 12 which is positioned about said lower shaft 9 and mounted thereto by ya pin 11 which passes through aligned apertures in the tines of the said fork and said shaft. Said rocker shaft itself is rotatably mounted to the torpedo by a sleeve bearing 13, the upper portion of which is aiiixed to the underside of the torpedo, the shaft being secured against lateral displacement by ring detents 14 lkeyed to said I' shaft on either side of said bearing,

Attached to said shaft at one end is a left forward or front lin or plane- 15 and secured to the other end is another such plane 16 which is mounted at such end by means of a socket 17 through which is passed a set screw 18 which extends into a radial groove 19 proximate said end of shaft 9, so as to retain said socket and plane` 16 in rotatable connection with said shaft.

Patented Dec. 29, 1959s The frontv tine. of fork 12 is elbowed to provide a lateral extension which asis-,sse

3 axis of the torpedo, wristr pin 22 is driven by 'the inside surfaces of slot 21 in a` plane which lies parallelto said longitudinal axis, causing socket 17, and with it plane 16, to be similarly rotated. By this means plane 16 may be rotated independentlyI of plane- 1'5'.

'[There is affixed tocontrol stick 8 a` connecting rod 24 by. means of a pivot pin 25, the other end of said rod beingpivotally connected to the lower end26 of a lever 27. which isfconnected by a` pivot pin 28 to the body of the torpedo. To the upper end 29 of said lever 271 there is afxeda piano wire 30 and similarly to the lower end 26 thereof there is aixed a piano wire 31, said wires leading rearwardly to and being connectedtothe corresponding` en ds of a lever 32, keyed toa transversely extending shaft 33 so as to be angularly displaceable iny synchronization with lever` 27, alonga' portion ofl the length of whichthere isafxed aft or: rear-:1inY o1'. plane 23.

'Ifogcomplete the control means `there `is a conventional rudder 34 to which is attached al transversely extending rudder bar operable by the operatorslfeet in theform shown. Of course, a hydraulicor. electric motor means mightA be provided to displace the.rudder; incontrol synchronization with the lateral displacement of control stickr 8, i.e. so that `as such lateral` displacement of the control stick causes the vehicle` to bank the rudder would be turned in the appropriate direction.

The banking and diving mechanism operates inthe following manner. In the rest position shown in Figs. 3 and 5, front planes 15 and 16 extend horizontally at right `angles to the vehicles vertical plane and are parallel to one another. If it is desired; to cause` the vehicle to rise, the operator pulls backward on controlA stick 8, thus rotating shaft` 9backwardly` and causing the trailing edges,A of` planes 15 Vand 16 to be depressed, the angular displacement being indicated by u in Fig. 6. Such backward motion of control stick 8 in direction 10 will likewise cause the trailing edges of rear plane 23 to-be elevated through the linkageof rod 24, piano wires 30 and 31, and levers 27 and 32, thus ,complementingthe action of the forward planes` and pointing the vehicle in. an upward direction.

Of course, a movement of control stick 8 to its forward extreme will cause angular rotation of the appropriate shafts of the` opposite sign and hence will point the vehicle Ain a downward, direction.

The banking of the vehicle is brought about when control stick 8 is llaterally displaced in direction 20. lf, for instanceit is pulled inwardly then the leading edge of lin 16 will beelevated relative to plane 15, the angle of ,dis-- placement beingthe angle (see Fig. 7). Plane 16 will therefore tend to rise and to bankthe vehicle so that plane 16 lies higher than plane 15. The reverse occursxwhen the control stick Sis displaced outwardly(see Fig; 4).

A modilied form of dilerential meansis illustrated in Fig. 8. In this example there is positioned along what was the longitudinal axis of rocker shaft 9 and is here designated 36,` shafts `37 and 38 which are journalled in sleeve bearings 13 and13, respectively, the outer ends of said shaftsbcaring, respectively, planes 16 and 15, and on their inner ends driven beveled gears 39 and 40, respec-` tively, said gears` being enclosed in a housing 41 through l the `walls of which said shafts are likewise journalled.

16 and 1S, to be rotated in opposite directions. If this movement was from the rest position, it would, of course, then cause the vehicle to bank sharply. On the other hand, if control stick is displaced in direction 47 then there will be no relative rotation between any of the gears and shafts 37 and 38, and with them front planes 16 and 15, respectively, will be rotated simultaneously and cause the front of the vehicle to be elevated or displaced de'- pending upon whether said control stick was pulled upwardly or pushed downwardly,l respectively.`

The connections shownby .the-various control surfaces have been substantially mechanical linkages. The control stick may belinkedby conventionalhydraulic motors or distributors to. the-control surfaces. Similarlyinstead of hydraulic motors, electric motorsV or activators may be employed; t

Although the subject invention has been described with a certain degree of particularity, it is` understood that the present disclosure has been made onlyby way of example and' that numerous additions: and changes in the details of construction, combination and arrangement may be resorted to `without transcending` the scope of the invention as hereinafter claimed.

What is claimed is:`

l. In an undersea craft'having a body, control means comprising a bearing affixedto said body, a rocker shaft journalled in said bearing4 rotatable along an. axis pei"- pendicular to the longitudinal axis ofsaid' body, a ixed plane carried by said shaft'atone end'thereof extending laterally therefrom', a socket*rotatablyfsecured to said shaft at the other end thereof having the same axis of rotation as said shaft, alirst` movableplane carried by said socket at the free end thereof'laterally extending therefrom, said planes normally lying` in parallel relationship, the transverse axes of said `planes being parallel in a rest position, a control' stick' pivotally secured to said shaft proximate said socket rotatable'along a path in a plane parallel to the axis of rotation of such shaft, a crank extension of said stick extending parallel to said axis of rotation along said socket, said extension having` a slot therein, a wrist pin connected to and'extending outwardly from said socket in engagement with the walls of said slot, whereby upon displacementof said stick in a direction normal toA the axis of rotation of said shaft" said planes Will'be equally angularly rotated, and. upon displacement of said stick in` a direction parallel to,` said axis of rotation of lsaidshaft saidfrnovable plane willbe angularly displaced relative said xed plane;

2. Control` means as described. in claim' 1, a second movable plane` rotatably mountedtosaidbody, spaced from said xedand first movableplanesrsecured to said body to rotate aboutan axisparallelto. the axis of rotation of said shaft, and means connected tosaid control stick and said` `second movable plane to simultaneously angularly displace said `second movable plane in an angular direction opposite to thatfollowed by said xed and first movable planes when said'stick is moved along a path perpendicular to the axis of rotationof said shaft.

References Citedfin `the `1eof this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS` 1,125,772` Ullin Jan. 19, 1915 1,187,738 Ianney June 20,` 1916 1,232,241 Diamond July 13,1917' 2,369,859 Sargeant Feb. 20, 1945 2,722,021 Keogh-Dwyer Nov. l, 1955 2,823,636 Gongwer et al. Feb. 18, 1958 FOREIGN PATENTS 643,528 France May 16, 1928 

